The history of cartoon comedy includes a number of beloved characters who have done their part to define the genre. Since the advent of animation, cartoons have been home to some of the most inventive screen comedies ever made. While there is plenty of great live-action comedy, the medium of animation’s boundless possibilities make cartoons uniquely suited to the genre.

Jokes that would be impossible to achieve in live-action can be pulled off in cartoons, which gives cartoon comedy an edge over its live-action competition. This is the reason that even though family sitcoms have been a staple of network television for decades, the comedy writing of The Simpsons is widely considered to be some of the greatest work in the medium’s history. Of course, the series is just one example of the comedy entertainment cartoons can provide. Animated shows -and the characters that lead them - have been offering laughs for the better part of a century. Here are ten iconic characters deserving of being called the funniest in the genre.

10 Morty, Rick and Morty

Rick and Morty’s most popular character is undoubtedly the unflappable, unstoppable super-genius Rick Sanchez. However, while Rick is endlessly impressive and sharp-tongued, he is not a particularly funny character. It is tough to make the smartest man alive into a walking punchline. As a result, many of Rick and Morty's biggest laughs come from his inexperienced, naive helper. Rick and Morty’s hero Morty is a dimwitted but well-meaning teenager whose antics provide the comedic backbone of the series. He might not be as cool and competent as his grandfather, but Morty is undeniably a funnier figure.

9 Louise Belcher, Bob’s Burgers

While beleaguered everyman Bob Belcher is an icon in his own right, he is only one of the many funny characters in Bob’s Burgers. Both Bob’s children Tina and Gene have been responsible for some of the show’s funniest moments, while his wife Linda is also a veteran Bob’s Burgers scene-stealer. However, it is Kristen Schaal’s Louise Belcher who remains the comedic highlight of Bob’s Burgers. As disarmingly innocent as she is tough and feisty, Louise is a thoroughly original comedy creation.

8 Roger Smith, American Dad

While American Dad initially got a lot of flack for its similarities to Family Guy, the underrated cult hit is better than its critical detractors claim. American Dad even inspired a Rick and Morty plot and, at its best, the surreal satire of the series hits the same heights as that later Adult Swim hit. No character epitomizes American Dad’s weirder side more than the bisexual, morally ambiguous alien Roger Smith. Absurdly hedonistic, Roger is also a character capable of unexpected sweetness, and his endless array of disguises and personas make him widely unpredictable.

7 Todd Chavez, Bojack Horseman

Bojack Horseman is not a purely fun series by any means. The dramedy plumbs some deep dramatic depths in its interrogation of addiction, depression, identity, and fame. However, that heaviness is mostly found in Bojack Horseman’s depiction of its eponymous antihero as well as his biographer Diane Nguyen. In contrast, Aaron Paul’s Todd provides hysterical comic relief throughout Bojack Horseman’s six seasons. Whether he is writing an incomprehensible rock opera, running afoul of clown dentists, or accidentally setting up a romance between sentient phones, Todd is an ingenious fountain of silliness.

6 Eric Cartman, South Park

While South Park has occasionally attempted to take some of its characters seriously, the show has never tried to make viewers care about Cartman. A spoiled, sociopathic child, Cartman is also the reason South Park’s worst episodes are the ones that ignore its young heroes. While his actions may frequently be unconscionable, Cartman’s bigotry, racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny, and homophobia allowed South Park to mock these flaws and point out their absurdity. Cartman might be a complete monster, but he’s a very funny one.

5 Professor Farnsworth, Futurama

While most of Futurama’s lead characters are funny, Professor Farnsworth might be the most purely comedic figure in the series. Characters like Leela and Fry are often caught up in dramatic plots, and even Bender has moments of sincerity. However, from his recognizable catchphrase “Good news!” (which is always immediately followed by terrible news) to his complete disregard for others, Professor Farnsworth is a hilariously effective comic ing star for the sci-fi satire.

4 Stewie Griffin, Family Guy

Since Family Guy’s earliest seasons, Stewie Griffin was always the show’s breakout character. His character has changed over the years, from an evil genius to a campier figure. However, Stewie has consistently remained a fan favorite among Family Guy viewers, and his evil side means that his callous moments don’t seem as abrupt or unpleasant as Peter and Lois’s similarly cruel turns. While The Simpsons is still the most popular family sitcom, Stewie proves that Family Guy can go toe to toe with the earlier show in of character comedy.

3 Riley Freeman, The Boondocks

The Boondocks is filled with memorable characters from Uncle Ruckus to the irascible Granddad. However, Riley is the heart and soul of Adult Swim’s adaptation of Aaron McGruder’s acclaimed comic strip. While his elder brother Huey is more concerned with social ills and the issues of the day, Riley’s primary goals in life are "getting paid" and "getting laid." The fact that he is a small child who doesn’t fully understand what either of these things means makes Riley a hysterical figure. Riley is the funniest and, in his own strange way, the most lovable character in The Boondocks.

2 Homer Simpson, The Simpsons

The sheer number of years The Simpsons has been on the air is a testament not just to the show's quality, but to the characters themselves, particularly its central protagonist. Homer Simpson has been the face of The Simpsons since the show's fifth season in the early 1990s. The notion that Homer continues to be funny without growing stale after more than 30 seasons speaks volumes about his comedic potential as the idiotic but good-natured patriarch of the Simpson family. Inept, greedy, thoughtless, self-centered, and fundamentally, wholly decent to his core, Homer Simpson is the archetypical everyman and one of television’s funniest, and most memorable, characters ever.

1 Daffy Duck, Looney Tunes

Many of the comedy greats of the cartoon world share one thing in common, which is their inflated view of their own abilities. This persistent trait makes their failures hilarious when their view of themselves inevitably collides with the realistic limitations of their capabilities. No character encapsulates this idea better than Daffy Duck. While Bugs Bunny might be the suave hero of the Looney Tunes cartoon comedy canon, Daffy Duck is the endlessly confident, arrogant antihero who thinks he can never lose even though he (almost) never wins. That aspect of the character, combined with his other flaws - extreme jealousy and greed - have turned him into a cartoon legend. In fact, a substantial portion of the Looney Tunes franchise's funniest moments have been at Daffy's expense.